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The Montagnard community, who represent multi-tribal, multilingual indigenous people from the Central Highlands of Vietnam, faces significant challenges in the Greensboro, North Carolina area, where they have been resettled for decades. Despite their prolonged presence, older Montagnards are poorly acculturated, with limited English proficiency, low income, and a lack of formal education. This demographic with unique needs is largely overlooked by federal, state, and local service providers.Our comprehensive needs assessment, conducted from January 2020 to December 2021, revealed a triple disadvantage for older Montagnards due to their intersectional factors of age, low income, and immigrant/ethnic minority status. The challenges include difficulties in accessing income, housing, health services, and social connections. Despite residing in a resource-rich city, the distribution of services is uneven, and collaboration among agencies is lacking.In conclusion, the Montagnard community in Greensboro, particularly its older population, requires targeted and culturally sensitive support to address their unique challenges. Implementing these recommendations will contribute to a more inclusive and supportive environment for this vulnerable group.

This report documents needs of refugee older adults in the Greensboro metropolitan area of North Carolina, as exemplified by two communities: Nepali-speaking Bhutanese and Congolese. We describe the demographics of refugee populations in North Carolina and Greensboro. We draw attention to the fact that although refugee streams are in general younger in age, older refugees do exist in appreciable numbers, and their specific needs must be recognized and provided for. This is the first such report for the state of North Carolina.

Creation of an inclusive environment requires a culture of equity, justice, value and respect for diverse backgrounds, and opportunities for students to engage with communities while addressing issues in science and society. These tasks are particularly challenging for institutions lacking a diverse population. Here, we demonstrate evidence of a successful model for creating an inclusive environment in an interinstitutional course between a large, public, historically black institution and a small, private, primarily white institution. Because many individuals from underrepresented minority groups tend to value communal goals of working together and helping their communities, we incorporated two high-impact practices of community-engaged learning and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) focused on health disparities research in neighboring communities. Although the research projects varied each semester, they were linked by their impact on and engagement with the community. Students practiced cultural competency skills in both small group projects within the class and engagement activities in the community. We measured the efficacy of CURE components (novel authentic research, scientific process skills, iteration, collaboration, and broader impact) through a combination of direct and indirect assessments, quantitative and qualitative analysis. More than simply scientific skills, students from both institutions developed lasting interest in working with diverse populations as well as respecting and valuing different backgrounds. This inclusive environment, combined with increased interest in research, suggests that this course could potentially serve as a model for interinstitutional collaborations in creating inclusive environments that support the future success of diverse students, eventually changing the STEM research culture.

As COVID-19's impact disproportionately affects minority communities, North Carolina's Montagnard refugee and immigrant community has been no exception. Montagnards, a multi-tribal group, were resettled to the United States from the Vietnam highlands after suffering retribution for supporting American troops during the Vietnam war. The Montagnard Dega Association (MDA) and its youth branch, the Montagnard American Organization (MAO), estimated 50 COVID-19 positive cases by September 10, 2020 (Montagnard Dega Association, email communication, September 10, 2020). But community cases could well be higher (more than 100+) at the writing of this correspondence, since not all affected Montagnards have contacted MDA/MAO regarding infection.

Reflexivity, an important component of qualitative inquiry generally, gains additional significance in community-based participatory research (CBPR). The varying partnerships among researchers, community partners, and community members are strengthened when a co – learning, reflective model is applied. The use of reflective field notes can be a powerful tool to help achieve this end. In this article, we describe the dynamics of community-engaged research team where members applied a co-learning model to reflect upon their positionality in the community and in research. Using reflective field notes examined through a narrative approach to the PI’s time in the field, we assess these positionalities through the relationships between CBPR work and power relations. The reflective practice embedded in the CBPR process brought these power relations to our attention. We then turned to the literature on power relations to better understand what was occurring in the study. The current case details the additional complexity that occurs when issues of language, translation, gender, and culture are introduced. Thus, this paper is a reflective analysis of a bilingual researcher’s experience in the field specific to cross-cultural CBPR work.

With the proportions and numbers of older adults increasing rapidly in the United States and worldwide, there is acute need for professionals with “gero-competency” and “gero-interest” in the spectrum of health and human service fields. We examine whether adding on gerontology content to an existing international health-focused service learning course would suffice to spark interest in gerontology and gero-focused careers among Master’s in Public Health students in Community Health Education. Currently, comparatively few graduate programs in public health education in the United States offer aging concentrations. We thus explore this alternative strategy. We used case study methodology to guide our assessment, which included content and thematic analyses of “artifacts of learning” and transcripts of in-depth interviews with five graduate students. Despite little prior exposure to gerontology and limited preparation with gerontology content, the students were able to competently analyze community aging issues. They recommended that aging-related courses with experiential opportunities be offered in health education curricula. Of the five students, three were not interested in a gero-focused career, one was open to the idea, and the other had found her niche in an aging-related position and enjoyed working in that environment. As the population ages, there is great need to spark students’ interest in aging-related careers. Adding on gerontology content to an existing health education course appeared less effective in sparking gero-interest, despite proven pedagogical approaches such as service learning. Encouraging students to take aging-focused courses with experiential learning components and offering more gerontology concentrations in Master’s in Public Health–level community health education programs may be more effective.

Objective: Comprehensive information on the facilitators of HIV testing in Latino women (Latinas) in the Southeastern USA is lacking. Efforts to rectify this should include Latina perspectives on the issue. This study aimed to (1) solicit Latina perspectives using qualitative methodology and (2) characterise enablers of HIV testing follow-through. Method: The study used the freelisting interview approach to document the perspectives of Latinas (18?years and older). The purposive sample included HIV-tested (n?=?21) and non-tested (n?=?10) women. The setting was Non-Traditional Counseling, Testing and Referral Sites in five counties in Central North Carolina, USA. The protocol was guided by the PEN-3 framework, which aims to take culture into account as part of health education. The focus was on the enablers (i.e. social groups, networks, information channels, systems and environments) of health behaviours. Results: While participants listed 66 enablers, 37 met the criteria for analyses. The top 10 enablers were TV advertisements/commercials, friends, personal health, family wellbeing, children, TV shows, pamphlets, self-interest, knowing someone HIV positive and spouse/partner. The most salient enabler for HIV-tested Latinas was children. For non-tested Latinas, it was friends. Conclusion: Freelisting proved to be a simple and effective data collection strategy with literate and low-literate women, providing culturally relevant concepts for inclusion in subsequent quantitative survey instruments. Study participants identified a number of important enablers that could serve as supports or reinforcements for health education outreach and interventions to enhance HIV testing uptake.

This report describes the activities funded by the CDLC Grant for Diverse Language Learner Communities, namely, a Community Health Fair, conducted on April 10, 2016. This event was offered on community request, as reciprocity for an ongoing community-initiated research program examining chronic health conditions among the Montagnard refugee community of Greensboro, NC.

Background: As life expectancy and morbidity related to chronic disease increase, the baby boomers will be called upon to provide care to aging members of their family or to be care recipients themselves. Purpose: Through the theoretical lens of the life course perspective, this review of the literature provides insight into what characteristics of baby boomers separate them from previous caregiving cohorts and how these characteristics will affect family caregiving. Methods: A systematic process to identify literature was completed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Findings suggest multiple emerging trends related to caregiving, including (1) increasing use of digital technology for information gathering and support, (2) more diversity among caregivers and care recipients, (3) strained finances and loss of entitlements, (4) more complex care and care management, (5) demand for public policies related to caregiving, and (6) balancing work, family, chronic disease, and caregiving. Discussion: Examining the literature related to family caregiving and baby boomers through a life course perspective offers a unique and more complete understanding of emerging trends related to chronic disease management. Translation to Health Education Practice: These emerging trends offer health educators implications for strategies and best practices intended to support those involved in family caregiving.

This article describes the procedures used to determine the conceptual adequacy and cultural appropriateness of a newly developed HIV Testing Enablers Assessment (H-TEA) instrument to be used with underserved Hispanic/Latino immigrant women. The aim was to create an appropriate format for women with similar language proficiencies and ethnic backgrounds. We discuss the feedback we received from the women in terms of cultural nuances we must pay attention to when creating items and organizing them into an assessment instrument. Women reported on the understandability, com-fort level, likelihood of truthfulness, and cultural relevancy of questions and response options for the instrument. These are key factors in developing an instrument that is relevant, reliable, and culturally appropriate for our target population.

Objective To compare American-Indian and Caucasian mortality rates from diabetes among tribal Contract Health Service Delivery Areas (CHSDAs) in the Great Plains Region (GPR) and describe the disparities observed.Research design and methods Mortality data from the National Center for Vital Statistics and Seer*STAT were used to identify diabetes as the underlying cause of death for each decedent in the GPR from 2002 to 2010. Mortality data were abstracted and aggregated for American-Indians and Caucasians for 25 reservation CHSDAs in the GPR. Rate ratios (RR) with 95% CIs were used and SEER*Stat V.8.0.4 software calculated age-adjusted diabetes mortality rates.Results Age-adjusted mortality rates for American-Indians were significantly higher than those for Caucasians during the 8-year period. In the GPR, American-Indians were 3.44 times more likely to die from diabetes than Caucasians. South Dakota had the highest RR (5.47 times that of Caucasians), and Iowa had the lowest RR, (1.1). Reservation CHSDA RR ranged from 1.78 to 10.25.Conclusions American-Indians in the GPR have higher diabetes mortality rates than Caucasians in the GPR. Mortality rates among American-Indians persist despite special programs and initiatives aimed at reducing diabetes in these populations. Effective and immediate efforts are needed to address premature diabetes mortality among American-Indians in the GPR.

Few studies have examined disparities in adverse birth outcomes and compared contributingsocioeconomic factors specifically between African-American and White teen mothers. Thisstudy examined intersections between neighborhood socioeconomic status (as defined by censustractmedian household income), maternal age, and racial disparities in preterm birth (PTB)outcomes between African-American and White teen mothers in North Carolina. Using a linkeddataset with state birth record data and socioeconomic information from the 2010 US Census,disparities in preterm birth outcomes for 16,472 teen mothers were examined through bivariateand multilevel analyses. African-American teens had significantly greater odds of PTB outcomesthan White teens (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.21, 1.56). Racial disparities in PTB rates significantlyvaried by neighborhood income; PTB rates were 2.1 times higher for African-American teens inhigher income neighborhoods compared to White teens in similar neighborhoods. Disparities inPTB did not vary significantly between teens younger than age 17 and teens ages 17–19,although the magnitude of racial disparities was larger between younger African-American andWhite teens. These results justify further investigations using intersectional frameworks to testthe effects of racial status, neighborhood socioeconomic factors, and maternal age on birthoutcome disparities among infants born to teen mothers.